Holding Onto You
by Caladaac
Summary: Jonouchi messes up. Anzu fixes him up. It's a cycle that Jonouchi has come to rely on, but Anzu just wants him to see that he doesn't have to be this way.
1. Chapter 1

**A.N. I'm obviously not Japanese. There will be inconsistency. I just like the Japanese names better and am too western to get the rest of it right. Also, I've been out of the fan fiction business for TOO long, so let me know if there is anything I need to change or work on. Constructive criticism appreciated :)**

The darkness was slowly consuming the streets of Domino City as sheets of rain fell, chilling the citizens making their way to their homes. The street lights, blurred by the drizzle, flickered slightly in the alleyway next to the club, a line full of teens trying to get into it with a phony I.D. Katsuya Jonouchi was not an exception, tapping the plastic card against his chin as he watched several other students from his high school get turned away.

He rolled his eyes at them. "Amateurs," he muttered, stepping forward as the line moved up. The kids had still been in their school uniform. Jonouchi, not nearly so stupid, found an old, white t-shirt of his dad's and threw on a green jacket. He also wore his only pair of blue jeans, which were a bit short for him; his white socks could be seen above his faded blue sneakers.

Jonouchi confidently walked up to the bouncer and flashed his I.D. The bouncer nodded to him and stepped aside. Jonouchi pulled out his wallet and shoved his card in as he strode through the dancing women grinding on anyone who would let them and made his way to the bar where he saw Kujaku Mai serving the already drunk patrons. He sat down at the counter and chuckled at the grotesque face she made as a fairly unattractive male winked to her.

"Oi, Katsuya!" she called over the booming music, sending an amused look toward him. "How the hell did you get in here?" She set a beer in front of him, wiping condensation off of her hands on to her apron.

Jonouchi pulled the drink towards him, shrugging. "I dunno," he said innocently. " They always let me inta this place." He picked up his glass and downed his drink in one go. "Aye, could'ya get me anuthah?" He looked up to Mai with sparkling brown eyes and winked.

She complied and used her arms to prop herself up, resting her head in her hands. "What brings you here? Can't get enough of me?" She laughed softly and brushed her hair out of her face. Jonouchi looked her over and grinned over his glass. Mai playfully whipped his arm with her towel, then turned to serve another customer. "You pervert!"

He couldn't help but look at her, taking in the way her tight, purple outfit hugged her curves. Her vest did nothing to make her clothing any less promiscuous. She left it open, revealing a white tanktop, which showed off her large breasts and toned stomach. She wore a belt, unnecessary for keeping her waistband in place - her skirt was definitely not going anywhere. It hugged her hips and was short enough to get his mind racing, but long enough to leave a bit to the imagination.

He blinked and shook his head, trying to focus once more. "Ay, I can' help dat I like tah see a perty girl sometimes," he called to her. He saw her face flush and relaxed, positioning his self so he could see her better. She made her way back over to him, so he muttered, "'Nd s'far as I know, yer da best der' is in all o' Domino." He ran his fingers through his rather long, blond hair.

She rolled her eyes and took his glass, filling it once more. "Last one, Katsuya. I'm not letting you go home drunk again." She set it in front of him, crossing her arms.

"Why?" Jonouchi lost his flirtatious demeanor to frustration. "It ain't like 'm gonna do anythin' stupid," he pouted, resting his chin on the table and setting his arms around his drink, and then tapped his finger on the wooden counter.

"Because last time, you got into a fight with your dad and ended up in the hospital for two weeks."

Jonouchi groaned. "Believe me, I dun' wan'a do dat again." He didn't look up.

"Kats-" Mai stopped suddenly and took in a sharp breath as one of the drunk men called her over. She looked sadly at Jonouchi, but turned to serve them. Jonouchi was too lost in his own world to notice, going over the fight in his head.

 _Jonouchi heard the piercing scream of his little sister as he opened the door to his father's apartment. "Don't you_ dare _do anythin' tah Shizuka!" He called out into the darkness, charging down the halls to his father's room. There he was with his younger sister, holding her up against the wall with a fist raised._

 _His father turned to Jonouchi and glared at him, breathing heavily. "You said you would be home before dinner," he muttered in a cold, calm voice. He looked at Jonouchi as though the situation was normal, which was the unfortunate truth. "Where were you?"_

" _You bastard," Jonouchi whispered. He took in a raspy breath, charging to his father, who dropped the young girl in preparation for his son's attack. "Who the hell do yah think yah are?" Jonouchi cried, knocking his father to the ground. He ignored the awful sounds coming from his sister as she simultaneously sobbed and shouted for them to stop, and threw a punch at him. His eyes were-_

"Jonouchi!" The sharp tone of Mai's voice brought him back to the present. He looked up to her and saw how tense she was. He cleared his throat, attempting to ignore everything, and went back to tapping his finger. "Look, I know you it's hard, but if you could just go home and talk to him, maybe-"

"No offence, Mai, but 'm tryin' tah ferget 'bout Dad fer a while." He stopped tapping, and sighed. He rapped his knuckle on the counter and sat up. "But I suppose yer right. I don' really need tah git drunk. Dat'll only make things worse." He stood up and tossed a few yen on the counter.

"Katsuya, that doesn't mean you can get in another fight or do some other illegal activity." Mai's purple eyes were seemingly piercing his soul; he shook it off and turned away.

"I'll be fine, Mai. Don' worry 'bout me." He raised his hand as a parting gesture and pushed his way through the crowd.

It was a little past one in the morning; Jonouchi wasn't tired, but he needed to be decent before school the next day. He walked down the street, though the rain was still pouring, and and made his way to his street.

He slowly walked down the sidewalk, the empty streets comforting him. It was the norm for him; his father would often kick Jonouchi out of the house, leaving him to fend for his self. He kicked at a stone, watching it bounce along the concrete. The stone reminded him of his sister, jumping back and forth between her aunt's house and _his_ house.

He sighed, blinking rapidly. Their father. It was disgusting to call him that. Jounouchi wanted to vomit. All he could think about was his sister being thrown to the ground. He shook his head, trying to rid the image from his mind. His attempts were failing, making that night more vivid. His heartbeat increased, and he clenched his hands.

If only their parents hadn't separated. If only his mother hadn't died. If only Shizuka hadn't come back. If only Jonouchi had come home earlier. If only their father wasn't a fucking piece of shit.

Jonouchi cried out and threw his fist at the wall of the corner store. He groaned, standing with his knuckles to the bricks for a few moments, then sighed and fell to the ground, cradling his hand. His gasps slowly turned into sobs, which could barely be heard over the booming thunder that had begun.

As his breathing leveled out, he pulled out his phone, hitting the speed dial 5: the only person who would a.) help him out, b.) not judge him and c.) not let anyone else know what happened. He set the phone against his ear, praying for an answer. The ringing dragged on for what seemed like hours. "C'mon..." he urged the phone, waiting for it to pick up.

Finally, after the sixth ring, a groggy voice picked up. "H-hello?" He heard a yawn from the other end of the line.

"Mazaki?" he asked. "It's Jonouchi." He winced, preparing for her to tell him off, like she would do at school.

"Jonouchi-kun? What's wrong?" Anzu's voice became urgent, the sleepy tone from her voice fading. Jonouchi smiled, imagining the concerned look on her face.

"Nuthin', really. I mean, I need'a place tah stay, so..." He trailed off, hoping should could catch on. _C'mon Anzu. Just let me stay with you._

He heard a sigh. "At my house?" _Der' yah go! Dat's mah girl!_ "But... what about Honda-kun... or Yuugi?" _Shit._ "Didn't you try them?"

He ran his fingers through his hair, wincing as a few strands stuck to the torn skin on his knuckles. "Well, I need some'un tah... um... fix me up?" He pulled a face and shook his head, realizing how stupid he sounded.

"Fix you up?"

He paused. "I-uh- I need a few bandages. 'Nd I dun' think dey'll be happy 'bout dat." He bit the inside of his cheek, asking whatever god was listening for her to just go with it.

"Jo, are you drunk?

 _I can't hide anything from her..._ "Jus' help me out, Anzu."

"Alright," she muttered. He listened to the crackling sound of her shifting the phone. "But if you wake up my parents, you're a dead man."

He chuckled. "I won't. Cross mah heart."


	2. Chapter 2

**It's been a while! I apologize... my free time is pretty non-existent. But, I am FOR SURE going to make this a real fic-even if it takes me forever.**

 **A reminder: While I am studying Japanese, I'm still from America. Don't judge me too much for all the crossing of the cultures. Additionally, I would love any constructive criticism! Help me make your reading experience better :)**

* * *

Jonouchi stood at the driveway to the Mazaki house, glancing up to the front door. He knew he was welcomed there, but was still nervous. He winced at the stinging of his knuckles. Looking down to his hand, he saw the faded red of his watery blood, reminding him that he needed to go in and have it bandaged up.

Rain was pouring, drenching him as he slowly walked up to the door, looking into the window in hopes of seeing Anzu standing there. His hand shook as he rapped on the door, attempting to keep as quiet as possible. It opened almost right away, revealing his friend. "Hey, Anzu."

Her brunette bob was messy from sleep. A silky nightgown flowed down her body, stopping at her knees. It neither clung tightly, nor hung loosely. On her feet were bunny slippers. He hadn't expected this from such a tomboy.

She took his arm and pulled him inside. "Wait here," she whispered, closing the door as quietly as possible and bolting it shut. She rushed out of the room, returning a few minutes later with towels and a first aid kit. "Let's go to the kitchen."

He turned and walked down the hall, following her lead, and entered the salmon colored room a few moments later. Sitting down at the table, he examined his hand in the light. It wasn't too bad, but it did need cleaned. In all honesty, it probably looked worse than it was. The skin was peeling and the blood had dried, making it look grotesque, yet he didn't feel any pain.

He looked up as Anzu set the kit on the table and turned to him. "Well," she said flatly, holding out her hand. "Let me see it."

Jonouchi frowned, placing his hand in hers. She looked it over, poking at the torn skin. Sighing, she set his hand on the table and took a wrapped alcohol wipe. "Well, it's better than some of the other times," she said softly. He winced, knowing that it was the truth. It was a painful reminder that he came to for help Anzu far too often.

She tore open the package and took his hand once more, wiping at the cuts. It saddened Jonouchi that he had reached the point where the alcohol didn't bother him anymore. He recalled a few times when he and Anzu had first started meeting like this. Back then, it was all he could do to keep from yelping and waking up her parents. Now it was just as routine as brushing his teeth or combing his hair.

He looked up at her to see her focused, but there was a hint of disappointment in her eyes. That was what he hated the most about coming to her. She did the job right, but he always saw her face fall when she looked at the damage.

Once sufficiently cleaned, Anzu took a bandage, and gently wrapped it around his hand. "Thanks, Anzu," he muttered, examining her work as she put away the excess materials. He looked at her and nodded.

She smiled and picked the box back up. "Not a problem, Jo." She walked back out of the room. "I'll see if I can find you something to sleep in."

He sighed and stood, walking to the living room. He fell back onto the couch and looked up at the ceiling. He was starting to let his dad's behavior slip his mind, the blank ceiling somewhat calming. The nothingness brought comfort to him, and he started to drift off.

Slipping back into the living room, Anzu smiled at Jonouchi's relaxed figure. It had been a while since he had last stayed at her home, but she could never forget how happy he seemed when he wasn't thinking about his family life. It made her realize that she was doing the right thing. _Maybe all this hassle is worth it,_ she thought to herself.

Anzu kneeled on the ground next to the couch, setting her father's pajamas-which were conveniently still in the laundry room-on the coffee table. "Come on, Jonouchi-kun. You gotta get up." She firmly prodded his arm. He moaned and turned towards the back of the couch, ignoring her. "If you don't move somewhere else, my parents will find you. That would mean I can't help you out in the middle of the night." She paused. "Or at all, really."

Jonouchi turned toward her. "But 'm tired," he mumbled, swatting her hands away playfully.

"Well, you can be tired somewhere else!" Anzu laughed softly as she pulled him off the couch, then froze as his body thudded to the floor. "Shit!" she hissed, looking down the hall to her parents room fearfully. She pushed herself up and grabbed Jonouchi's arm, hauling him to the corner of the room where her family piled the throw blankets. She quickly threw them on top of him and jogged into the kitchen, pulling out a glass.

A gravely, tired "Anzu?" carried its way from her parents' bedroom. A tall, muscular man who looked very much like Anzu walked into the living room, eyeing her through the kitchen opening. " What on Earth are you doing, honey?"

"I-I was just getting a glass of water." Anzu turned on the tap and filled her cup, bringing it to her lips as she turned it off again. "I tripped over the rug," she easily lied. She had to cover her and Jonouchi's night-time meetings more often than she would like to admit, so dishonesty came as easily to her as fighting did to Jonouchi.

Her father yawned, too tired to contest. "Be careful, Anzu..." he trailed off, another yawn not too far off from the first. He turned, shuffling back to his bedroom. "Goodnight, sweetie. And don't forget to turn the kitchen light off."

"I won't, otoosan. Goodnight." She waited until she heard the bedroom door close and sighed a breath of relief.

The blankets stirred, Jonouchi emerging from them. "Sorry 'bout that, Anzu," he muttered.

Anzu waved a hand at him, dismissing his apology. "No worries. Now let's get you back to my room before my parents decide to come out again."

"I second dat motion!" Jonouchi said as excitedly as he could while still remaining quiet.


End file.
